| |OCTOBER 20229Digitalisation is offering many avenues of use in packaging and manufacturing. Not only does it enable new features in packaging, it's also at the heart of sustainability efforts that the industry is embarking on-ergy utilization platforms, thereby lowering overall carbon footprint of the products.Packaging sustainability remains an industry-shaping trend. Global FMCG multinationals and big retailers have made commitments to ensure that all the packaging that they use is designed for recycling, mostly by 2025. This is be-ing followed by investments and collaboration in the entire value chain to develop sufficient recycling infrastructure so that packaging is not only designed for recycling, but it also actually gets recycled. Digitalization is again at the centre of this recyclable packaging since each packaging type (Poly-thene, Polypropylene, Paper, and more) needs to be identi-fied and sorted into different material types post use. This is being achieved by embedding machine identifiable codes into packaging which are recognized by scanners installed on high-technology sorting machines.The pandemic reemphasized and redefined the need for food safety and hygiene as food reaches the consumers and remains safe over its entire shelf life. Digitalization of packaging indicating codes and `best by' tags is empower-ing customers to know that what they are buying is safe and healthy.SMART PACKAGING WILL ENHANCE RECYCLABILITY, TRACEABILITY, & SAFETYDigital technologies provide the possibility for transforma-tive advancements in the food packaging industry. Trace-ability, convenience, and tamper detection are secondary features, which are becoming increasingly important. Ad-ditionally, one of the key values in smart packaging is the easy access to information on the raw materials used in the packaging, which facilitates easier recycling.Going forward, the increasing speed of digitalization will lead to digital influence on the value chain through auto-mation and the widespread use of new technologies. These will not only improve cost efficiency and productivity but will also make the distribution of products more resilient and transparent through real-time tracking. This develop-ment could lead to a greater need to integrate technology, radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, and near-field communications (NFC) into product packaging. Whatever the outcome, innovative packaging design will play an im-portant role in enabling this ­ and packaging manufacturers will need to re-evaluate their strategies in view of the evolv-ing trends.VISION OF A DIGITALLY ENABLED FUTUREIn the modern food system, the packaging is every bit as important as its contents. Packaging can now be embedded with technology that offers a range of functionality. Digita-lization is proving to be a powerful catalyst for information transparency ­ blockchain, ingredients authenticity, among others, leading to value creation.Through digitalization, the entire value chain will become more transparent, agile, and flexible. Also, across the whole production workflow, timely decisions will be made possible. The industry will enter a period where connected systems will contribute data to the entire production process for faster and more precise opti-mization.At Huhtamaki, digitalization is a key differentiator for our products and a business imperative for our operations. Digital technology and data will inevitably reshape the way we do business with our customers and our operations. We see digitalization as the enabler and connector for our strategic priorities to deliver growth. To become the first choice in sustainable packaging solutions, we must digital-ly enhance the efficiency of our operations, facilitate ease of doing business with us for our customers and develop digital products and services including smart packaging.
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